Re: Strange Battery/Alt problem
- From: Mike Romain <romainm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:54:40 -0500
I think you are describing either a loose or polished up fan belt. They
will act exactly as you describe.
I test mine by taking a cold off engine and seeing if I can hand slip
the alternator pulley. If I can, the belt either needs tightening or is
polished and needs replacing. The alternator takes several HP to spin
up under load and if you can hand slip it cold, for sure it will slip
under use when cold.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
'New' frame in the works for '09. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com
mycha3l@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Thanks for the replys. I guess I'm still just wondering why it only.
seems to happen when the engine is cold and I don't believe it has
come on again once it goes out and the engine is warm. Maybe the
regulator isn't working when it's cold. It is interesting how on a
couple of occasions revving the engine shut the light off temporarily
until the car warmed up. The car also has 234K miles on it and this
is the original alt that came with the vehicle.
On Jan 7, 2:47 am, m6onz5a <corv...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jan 6, 6:36 pm, mych...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Car: 2000 Pontiac Grand AM 3.4L V6Also if your battery is older it might be a good idea in invest in a
For the past two or so weeks I've had a strange problem. It has been
cold here in Va and every morning when I start the car the little
battery symbol is lit indicating a charging problem per the owner's
manual. I usually let the car warm up about two minutes before taking
off and about 2 miles down the road it usually goes off. One time
before two miles I was able to get the light out by gearing down and
having the engine rev to about 2.5-3K RPM. It came back on again
shortly there after until I reached about 2-3 miles of driving after
which it stayed off. Today the light did not go out and I turned the
car around and went back home in fear of being stranded. With the
car running I measured about 12.2 volts at the batt terminals. With
the engine off I measured 12.8 with the light still lit. Went back
inside the house and decided I'd make a run for Advance/Autozone and
when I started the car again the light was out. I measured the
voltage across the terminals of the batt w/ engine running and I got
14.1V. I brought the car to Autozone and the counter person used
their little machine and likewise tested my car as fine. Seems that
their alternator tester doesn't do a whole lot more than my MM.
Is this a sign that my alternator is going? I've been a shade tree
for about 20 years but every alternator I've had blow just plain
failed. The question I have is why does the alt/charging system seem
to work fine when the car has been run at OP temp for awhile? If it
was belt slippage not only would I possibly notice this in PS effort
but it might overheat by not turning the water pump as well. If it
was grease on the belt it seems it would be worse with engine temp. I
checked the belt and it seems fine.
What gives here? I'd like to replace the alt, but if that's not the
problem I'm going to be out about $150. Does sound like it's the alt?
Thanks for the replys,
Mike
new one if/when you get the alternator.
Yes the battery tester is not much different than a DMM except the
battery tester can do a load test on the battery to test its strength.
If your connections are clean & tight & belts good your alterator is
the problem.
- References:
- Strange Battery/Alt problem
- From: mycha3l
- Re: Strange Battery/Alt problem
- From: m6onz5a
- Re: Strange Battery/Alt problem
- From: mycha3l
- Strange Battery/Alt problem
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